Freedom of the Press Foundation

Read in our latest newsletter (and subscribe): - Federal anti-SLAPP law needed ASAP

11 years after Snowden's NSA revelations, the government continues to expand its surveillance powers. There's still a long way to go in combating government overreach. https://lnkd.in/dJwsNw8f

Six months after Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Media Matters for America, the nonprofit announced that it was laying off at least a dozen staffers to remain sustainable amid a “legal assault on multiple fronts.” The layoffs are a stark reminder of the threat posed by strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs. They are meritless lawsuits often brought by the wealthy and powerful and intended to silence criticism, activism or reporting. SLAPPs threaten free speech, and they’re disturbingly common. Fear of SLAPPs can chill news reporting and other speech. Musk’s lawsuit against Media Matter is a SLAPP against an outlet known for its liberal perspective. But many SLAPPs aren’t political, and when they are, they can target conservatives, too. This is why we need a federal anti-SLAPP law before anti-speech billionaires can put more journalists out of their jobs.     Even as state anti-SLAPP laws become more common, federal courts are limiting their efficacy by holding that they don’t apply unless you’re sued in a state court. While there have been several attempts to get the Supreme Court to weigh in on the applicability of state anti-SLAPP laws in federal court, it still hasn't weighed in. There’s another, better solution than waiting for the Supreme Court to decide. Congress can act. It’s time for Congress to ensure that federal courts don’t thwart our First Amendment protections. It’s time to pass a federal anti-SLAPP law. Readead the full op-ed in The Hill by Caitlin Vogus on the link below. https://lnkd.in/g_4RX5Wh

📥 Arrests of journalists in the U.S. in 2024 already doubled over last year Read more in the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker (and subscribe).

Read in our latest newsletter (and subscribe): - Sen. Durbin, advance the PRESS Act - Israeli censorship is a cautionary tale for the US - Media Matters layoffs underscore SLAPP threat Plus, what we are reading..

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) has a rare chance to strengthen freedom of the press right now by advancing the PRESS Act, a bill to protect journalist-source confidentiality at the federal level. On Thursday, a coalition of 123 civil liberties and journalism organizations and individual law professors and media lawyers wrote to Durbin, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, and ranking member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), urging them to schedule a markup of the PRESS Act right away. Among the signers is acclaimed First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, the Marion County Record, ACLU, Illinois Press Association, Chicago Headline Club and Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF). FPF Director of Advocacy Seth Stern said: "Whistleblowers don’t talk to journalists when they’re afraid of being outed, and the result is that official misconduct goes unchecked and important stories go untold. "Sen. Durbin can change that. He already supports the PRESS Act and should advance it through the Judiciary Committee so it can become the law of the land." Read more at the link below.

📥 Read in our weekly newsletter (and subscribe here on LinkedIn): - Assange decision: A wake-up call for US - Police continue abuse of press covering protests - News is criminal contraband, federal prosecutors say - Israel censors the AP: U.S. should take note Plus, get to know what we are reading and more.

We welcome the U.K. High Court’s ruling on Monday granting Julian Assange an opportunity to appeal his extradition. Extraditing Assange to the United States to stand trial for publishing government secrets would profoundly harm press freedom in the U.S. and around the world. If the Biden administration cares about press freedom, it must drop the Assange case immediately. Read our full statement at the link below.